This project challenged me in all the right ways. I had the privilege of designing a Squarespace website for Dubliner and public speaker, Robert Forde, who is blind and speaks on topics like disability rights, resilience and inclusion. From the outset, accessibility wasn’t an optional extra, it was the foundation.

Working closely with Robbie, I gained invaluable insight into how screen readers interact with websites. I learned that while Squarespace allows for alt text, not all image types are treated equally; background and pinned images, for example, often go unread by screen readers. Hearing my client’s screen reader read the site aloud as we reviewed it together brought everything into sharp focus.

That experience forced me to consider every interface element:

✔️ Ensuring strong colour contrast across all text and buttons

✔️ Using clear, descriptive labels—buttons that say what they do, like “Learn more about my story” instead of generic “Click here”

✔️ Writing meaningful alt text for every image

✔️ Avoiding design patterns that confuse screen readers

This work has deepened my commitment to building websites that everyone can use. And now, with the EU’s European Accessibility Act (EAA) which came into force on 28 June 2025, these aren’t just best practices, they’re legal requirements.

This project wasn’t just about a website, it reinforced a mindset rooted in inclusion, empathy, and real-world usability.